Water heater



W. G. LEWIS.

WATER HEAIER. APPLlCATION man 1uLY22. 1920.

1,418,812. j Patented June 6,1922.

. V NVENTOR' W G-L Q W is s 8 I /EYS the burner chamber. snugly within the chamber beneath the partition 6 is mounted upon the lower end of hl'i ififi STATES serene osrree.

WILLIAM G. LEWIS, OF LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA.

WATER HEATER.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, VVILLIAM Gr. Lnwrs, a

citizen of the United States, residing at Los Angeles, in the county of Los Angeles and State of California, have invented new and useful Improvements in Water Heaters, of whlch the following is a specification.

This invention is a water heater of the type adapted to quickly heat a supply of waprovide an improved water chamber through which the products of combustion from the burner pass in order to heat the water, said chamber being arranged to bring the prodnets of combustion into close relation to the water in order that a relatively large quantity thereof may be rapidly heated.

The invention will be readily understood from "the following description of the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a longitudinal section through the burner of the heater.

Fig. I is a similar section through the water chambermounted upon the upper end of the burner.

Fig. 2 is a transverse section on the line 22 of Fig. 1

Fig. 3 is a top plan view of the burner.

The heater consists essentially of a burner, preferably, of cylindrical shape upon. the upper 'end of which is mounted a water chamber which isalso,preferably, of cylindrical shape.

The burner charnlber 1 is provided with an intermediate transverse partition 2 through which extends a discharge port 3 for the fuel of the burner. A valve 4 is arranged to close the port '3 and is provided with a depending valve stem A 5 extending down- 1 wardly through the burner chamber and guided in a suitable bearing 6 formed as atransverse partition 6*, at the lower end of A piston 7 fitting Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June n, 1922.

1920. Serial No. seams.

. valve stem 5 below the bearing -6. A spring 8 preferably an expansive coil spring is arranged beneath piston 7' for normally forcing the latter and valve 4 upwardly so that the valve will seat in order to close port 3.

The chamber between piston -7 andparti tion 6 is provided with a water inlet pipe 9, and a similar waterdischarge pipe 10 extends from the opposite side of said portion of the chamber. The pipe 9 communicates freely with the interior of the water chamber beneath partition 6 while the opening from the latter into pipe 10, consists of a port 11 restricted in size. Beyond port 11 the pipe 10 communicates with the })Ol?i3l 01l of the water chamlber below piston 7 as through a restricted by-pass 12 communicating at the port 13 with pipe 10 and at the port 14 with the water chamber above piston 7.

A fuel inlet pipe 15 communicates with the portion of the burner chamber between partitions 2 and 6. and a pipe 16 controlled by a manually operated valve 17 leads from this portion of the burner chamber and terminates in a pilot light nozzle 18 arranged above the upper end of the burner chamber. The upper end of the burner chamber is provided with the discharge opening 1-9 for fuel from the burner, and a screen 20, preferably extends across the burner chamber below the discharge opening 19 in order to prevent the flames of the burner passing downwardly nally beyond the upper end 'of the burner chamber, said water chamber being provided with a suitable flange 24- secured to the burner chamber. The water chamber is provided with open ends and a plurality of spaced water passages extending lengthwise through the water chamber. The water passages are shown as two annular chambers 25 and 26 arranged at opposite sides of the 'water chamber.

Each of these water passages are formed between concentric pipes 27 and 28 having the ends of the annular passage formed between said pipes closed by the end walls 29 and having the passage through the inner spective ends.

The two water pasages 25 and 26 are, prelerably, connected by a pipe 30 at the upper ends of the pipes forming said water passages, and a pipe 31 leading from a source of water supply communicates with the lower end of one of the water passages, say the passage 26, while the end of pipe 9 communicates with the lower end of the opposite water passage 25. The pipes 27 and 28 forming the water passages and connected as thus described may he supported within the cylinder 23 in spaced relation from the sides thereof upon a suitable annular bracket 32. The parts, as thus described, are so arranged that the flames oi": the burner above the upper end of burner chamber 1 will be projected upwardly through the passages formed through pipes 27 and also through the passage 34- lorineiil between cylinder 2?) and pipes 28; as well as though the central passage 35 formed between the respective pipes 28. The body of water wlthin passages 25 and 26 will thus be completely surrounded by the products of combustion from the burner for causing ready heating of said water.

Bafiles are, preferably, provided across the passages for the products oi: combustion through the water chamber in order to di vert said products of combustion for enabling the greater portion of the units thereof to be utilized in heating the water in passages 25 and 26. These battles are arranged one beyond the other throughout the length of the water chamber and are shown as each comprising a disc 36 extending across the water chamber andterminating short of the'wall 23 thereof.

The disc 36. preferably, comprises two plates 36 and 36* at opposite sides of the water chamber, each of said plates being provided with a central recess 87 and with openings 38 so arranged as to permit the plates to be received over the pipes 27 and 28. The recesses 37 of the co-operating plates forming one of the baffle discs provide a central aperture through the battle for the passage of the products of combustion, while the plates of a battle disc form means for diverting a portion of the prod,- ucts of combustion outwardly around pipes 27 and 28. The bafiie discs are. preferably, dished. as clearly shown in the drawings. with the peripheral portions thereof evtending downwardly from the central portions of said bafile discs in order to divert the products of combustiondownwardly during their passage around pipes 27 and 28 and pipe 27 open at its rebefore their final discharge through the passage 34; to the open upper end of the water chamber.

lVhen the water heater is in use, water supplied through pipe 31 will fill passage 26 and then flow through pipe 30 to fill passage 25. From thence the water flows through pipe 9 into the pressure chamber 40 between piston 7 and partition 6, and also by way oi bypass 12 into the pressure chamber ell below piston T.

ll heiu all 01" the faucets leading TIOIH the discharge pipe ll) are closed, a balanced pressure is thus obtained in chambers 410-411 and spring 8 as a consequence will close V2 lie 4 for cutting of? the tl uel supply and thereby prevent operation of the heater. As soon, however, as one ol. the faucets leading from pipe 10 is opened, the restricted port 1. preventing the free flow of water from chamber 4-0, will cause the pressure in said cluunber to exceed the pressure in chamber 41, and as a consequence the tension of spring 8 will he OVOlCOlDG and the piston 7 will be moved downwardly so as to open valve ll and thereby permit the flow of fuel through the end 19oF the burner chamber and past the pilot light, for igniting the same. The products of combustion thus formed will pass through the water chamber as previously described for quickly heating the water in its passage therethrough.

Various changesn'iay be made without departing from the spirit of the invention as claimed.

hat is claimed is:

l. In a water heater. a cylindrical housing provided with partitions that divide the space within said housing into 'a. burner chamber. a gas chamber and a water chamher. the partition between the gas chamber and the burner chamber being provided with a gas outlet, a valve stem arranged for slidi ng movement through the partition between the water chamber and the gas chamber, a valve carried by the upper end of said stem and adapted to normally close said gas outlet. a piston arranged For operation within the water chamber and connected to the lower end of the valve stem. a,waterinlet to the water chamber above thepiston, and. restricted water outlet openings leading From the water chamber above and below the piston therein.

2. A water heater having a burner chamher and a gas chamber. a valve for controlling the flow of gas "from said gas chamber to said burner chamber a piston connected to said valve, a pressure chamber at each side of said piston. a spring in one of said chambers For normally closing said valve. a water inlet to the other of said chambers and a restricted water discharge therefrom, a pilotlight tube leading from the gas chambeer to a point above the burner chamber, and a by-passtrom said water discharge to the first of said pressure chambers.

3. A water heater having a burner chamher and a gas chamber, a valve for con trolling the flow of gas from said gas chamher to said burner chamber, apiston connected ing of said water discharge will cause a Vato said valve, a pressure chamber at each riation in pressure in the respective pressure side of said piston, a water inlet and a Water chambers for actuating said piston to open 10 discharge from one of said pressure chamsaid valve.

bers, and a by-pass from said Water dis- In testimony whereof I have signed my charge to the second of said pressure chamname to this specification. bers, the parts being so arranged that open- WVILLIAM G. LEWIS. 

